This invention relates generally to apparatus for projecting a ball, particularly a soccer ball, in a predictable manner for the purpose of helping ball players improve their skills.
The sport of soccer calls on a player to utilize the feet, and body, including the chest, head, shoulder, etc., to control a ball. That ball may be delivered to the player on occasion by a throw-in, but more often from a kick or pass in which the ball may be spinning rapidly causing it to follow a curved path trajectory. Mastery of a ball experiencing such a trajectory whether for the purpose of trapping, touch passing, shooting or clearing, requires a significant amount of practice and experience. An apparatus has long been sought to provide reliable, repeatable experience for the players so as to permit them to acquire important skills in a minimum amount of time.
A number of apparatus have been designed with the intent to provide for such experiences. Recent examples are to be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,345,577 and 4,352,348. The apparatus disclosed in these patents and other similar apparatus have employed motorized devices to impart reasonably repeatable impulses onto a soccer ball thereby permitting players to repeatedly react to a similar type of impulse delivered to a number of balls. Since the devices are motorized, they typically require the availability of a source of electric power, a motorized generator or some other power source. Typically such devices have been designed to operate at a level compatible with honing the skills of collegiate level and better players. The apparatus is typically not capable of being slowed sufficiently to project a ball to a young elementary school player at a speed slow enough to permit him to gain confidence in his own basic soccer skills.
Some non-motorized devices intended to toss a ball are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 300,415 and British Patent 654,816. Both devices employ a generally horizontal base and a frame extending upward from the base which includes a pair of spaced apart members placed in a fixed relationship with respect to the horizontal base. A ball holder is coupled to the vertical members by elastic straps in the general form of a projecting sling. By varying the amount and direction of pull on the sling, a ball can be delivered from the apparatus toward a selected position. However, experience with devices of this type has shown that the devices are incapable of consistently imparting the desired spin on the ball. This absence of spin causes the ball to float and jump in an unpredictable manner toward the player. While this unpredictable ball behavior may be is desirable on rare occasion, it does not permit one to reliably imitate the in-game experiences of in-swinging crosses, out-curving corner kicks and the like, needed to truly elevate the skills of young players.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a soccer ball projecting apparatus capable of delivering a ball to any desired field position at a variety of velocities with controlled repeatable spin characteristics so as to permit players of all ages to experience game-like ball behavior.